Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (RATS SCO) and the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan discussed issues related to their relationship with the Taliban movement, which is under UN sanctions for terrorist activities, a statement of RATS announced.
RATS Executive Committee Director Ruslan Mirzaev and UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Afghanistan, Rosa Otunbayeva, discussed matters of bilateral cooperation, the statement said.
During the meeting, Rosa Otunbayeva raised issues related to the relationship with the de facto government of the Taliban, the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, and the status of women in the country.
The parties exchanged views on security issues, including the situation with foreign militants and terrorists in Afghanistan, as well as matters concerning the crossing of state borders by Afghan citizens in the SCO member states.
In early August 2021, the Taliban intensified their offensive against the Afghan government forces, entered Kabul on August 15, and declared the end of the war the next day. In the final two weeks of August, a mass evacuation of Western citizens and Afghans who collaborated with them took place from Kabul airport, guarded by U.S. forces. On the night of August 31, U.S. military personnel left Kabul airport, marking the end of almost 20 years of U.S. military presence in Afghanistan. In early September of the same year, the composition of the temporary government of Afghanistan was announced, headed by Mohammad Hasan Akhund, who held the position of Foreign Minister during the first Taliban rule and has been under UN sanctions since 2001.
November 23, 2023